On this week’s cover, we’ve got all of the details on Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno’s announcement that the Army will cut 10 brigade combat teams by 2017. Brigades from the 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne and 1st Infantry Division are just a few on the block. While the BCTs themselves will inactivate, some elements from each will be reorganized into other divisions. Last week’s Supreme Court decision to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act means big changes for the Army. The Defense Department has said that same-sex spouses will be fully legally recognized, which will include everything…

Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md., at a Thursday hearing on Soldier and Marine Equipment for Dismounted Operations, voiced his concern about the amount of weight soldiers are required to carry. And his concern certainly is justified. Nearing the end of the meeting, Bartlett warned military leaders against “getting in a rut.” His warning started with a very strong example of supplies in the South Pole, then took an somewhat unexpected turn … “As a senior member of the Science Committee I’ve now been twice to the South Pole,” Bartlett said. “I just want to use this as an example of how…

A Fort Rucker, Ala., sergeant charged with possessing photos of himself molesting 8- and 9-year-old girls will face a court martial before year’s end and then civilian court. The soldier, 30, arrested in a drug bust, may face life in prison. With the pornography, investigators found a pair of night vision goggles worth $6K that disappeared from a helo crash. [via The Southeast Sun] A 21-year-old soldier charged in the drunken driving death of a 19-year-old woman in Nevada was on leave to attend the funeral of his brother. The brother, a Marine lance corporal, had been killed in a…

Ever dreamed about making it big in Hollywood? Former 101st Airborne soldier Ryan Ahern may not be on the marquee just yet, but he’s in the credits for his small role in “Unstoppable,” opening tomorrow. The Portland Press-Herald reports that Ahern, 25, plays a Marine vet working at a rail yard who helps Denzel Washington and Chris Pine (The 2009 Star Trek’s Kirk) stop a runaway train. For filming, he was dangled out of a helicopter, sort of like the air assaults he performed in Iraq in 2005. Over there, an officer he knew hooked him up with his talent-agent…